America is a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws. We must end the conversation on amnesty -- citizenship is a privilege, not a right. The cornerstone to any successful immigration reform must be a commitment to securing the border and enforcing the laws we already have on the books.

Secure the border. As a Member of the Congressional Border Security Caucus, I firmly believe securing our border must not just be priority, but a reality.

Ensure refugees are adequately vetted. Our top priority must always be the safety and security of American citizens. Period. Until the FBI, Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence can certify that a refugee is not a threat to the security of the U.S., we must pause the refugee program (Read H.R. 4038).

No sanctuary cities. We must cut off certain federal grant funding for “sanctuary cities,” or cities that refuse to comply with current federal immigration laws (Read H.R. 3009).

No amnesty means no amnesty. The President’s executive actions granting illegal immigrants with amnesty must be stopped (Read H.R. 38).

Enforce our current immigration laws. Following the law should not be optional. I’ve supported legislation to remove the ability of the President to unilaterally shut down immigration enforcement and strengthen the interior enforcement of our immigration laws, by allowing state and local governments to enforce federal immigration law (Read H.R. 1148).

Stop the release of criminal aliens. In Fiscal Year 2014 alone, the Administration released over 30,000 criminal aliens, according to information provided to the House Judiciary Committee.

That’s why I’ve pushed back on the heads of the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) about the release of criminal aliens from detention centers that have been convicted of aggravated felonies and were members of violent criminal gangs.

I support a bill that requires the FBI to publish crime statistics of illegal immigrants. (Read H.R. 3151).

Improve the E-Verify system. We must strengthen and streamline the e-verify system, and make it mandatory for all U.S. employers to accurately and easily ensure they are hiring workers who are legally permitted to work in the U.S. (Read H.R. 1147).

English should be our official language. As one of the few countries around the world that does not have an official language, it’s time for Congress to declare English as the official language of the U.S. (Read H.R. 997).

I have an A+ scorecard rating from the immigration watchdog, NumbersUSA, for the 114th Congress so far.